Research overview: vaccination protocols for captive felids

Captive big cats are vaccinated against diseases that threaten felids, including panleukopenia, the respiratory viruses, and rabies, with protocols adapted from domestic-cat guidelines but informed by the special considerations of large, non-handleable animals, the use of killed versus modified-live products in exotic species, and the need to deliver vaccines safely. This overview synthesizes the zoo-medicine literature rather than one citation, describing how vaccination programs protect captive felids, why product selection accounts for safety in exotic species where some modified-live vaccines may pose risks, and how cooperative-care training facilitates vaccination without anesthesia. It matters because infectious disease can spread among captive felids and from domestic animals, and tailored vaccination protocols are part of the preventive medicine that keeps valuable, often endangered, captive big cats healthy.